U.S. plans base for surveillance drones in Africa

WASHINGTON The U.S. military command in Africa is preparing plans to establish a drone base in northwest Africa to increase unarmed surveillance missions on the local affiliate of al-Qaida and other Islamist extremist groups that U.S. and other Western officials say pose a growing menace to the region.

For now, officials say they envision flying only unarmed surveillance drones from the base, although they have not ruled out conducting missile strikes at some point if the threat worsens.

If the base is approved, it most likely would be in Niger, a largely desert nation on the eastern border of Mali, where French and Malian troops are now battling al-Qaida backed fighters who control the northern part of that country. The U.S. military's Africa Command is also discussing options for the base with other countries in the region, including Burkina Faso, officials said.

“This is directly related to the Mali mission, but it could also give Africom a more enduring presence for ISR,” one U.S. military official said, referring to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

A handful of unarmed Predator drones would carry out surveillance missions in the region and fill a need for more detailed information on a range of regional threats – including militants in Mali and the unabated flow of fighters and weapons from Libya – which U.S. military commanders and intelligence analysts say has been sorely lacking.

The U.S. military has a very limited presence in Africa, with only one permanent base, in Djibouti, more than 3,000 miles from Mali.

A new drone base in northwest Africa would join a constellation of small air bases in recent years on the continent, including in Ethiopia, for surveillance missions flown by drones or turboprop planes designed to look like civilian aircraft.